The Colorado

An epic film about North America’s wildest river!

The Colorado, an epic film about North America’s wildest river, will have its New Mexico premier at the Jean Cocteau Cinema. Long-time Santa Fe resident William deBuys has co-written the script. Directed by Murat Eyuboglu, the soundtrack of the film is scored by five critically acclaimed composers—William Brittelle, Glenn Kotche, Shara Nova, Paola Prestini, and recent Pulitzer and Grammy winner John Luther Adams —and performed by Grammy-laureate vocal ensemble Roomful of Teeth, percussionist Glenn Kotche (of Wilco), and cellist Jeffrey Zeigler (formerly with the Kronos Quartet).
For five million years the Colorado has carved some of the most majestic landscapes on the planet. It has also become the lifeline of a vast portion of North America, providing the water that sustains nearly forty million people, half a dozen major cities, and an immense agricultural empire. Because of these demands, the river is so overused and overpromised that it no longer flows to the sea or nourishes its delta. Placing the ecology of the river within a rich social context, The Colorado journeys through the prehistoric settlement of the region, the period of European exploration, the dam-building era, modern industrial agriculture and immigration, and the impacts of climate change.
The film debuted in live performance at New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art in May 2016, winning unrestrained critical praise. Said the New York Times, the “visually captivating and unsettling” film maintains “a delicate balance between didactic drive and meditative awe.” WQXR (wqxr.org) was even more enthusiastic in its assessment of the film’s soundtrack, calling it “an album so energized by the possibilities of contemporary music-making that it practically glows in the dark.”
SHOWTIMES (90 min): May 13th at 2:30PM and May 14th a 4:40PM